ELTE Welcomes 16 Chinese Students for the First Budapest Winter University

19.01.2026.

In January 2026, Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) welcomed 156 students from Zhejiang Province, China, for the launch of its first Budapest Winter University, marking an important milestone in the university’s growing short-term international education portfolio.

During the three-week programme, participants attend a combination of English language and communication courses, complemented by academic and cultural modules designed to provide an immersive introduction to Hungary and Budapest. The Winter University reflects ELTE’s strategic aim to expand flexible, short-term study opportunities for international students, particularly from Asia.

A central element of the academic programme is the course “Museums of Budapest”, running between 19 January and 6 February 2026

Coordinated by Ms Zsuzsanna Csuja from ELTE’s International Strategy Office, the course combines classroom-based learning with guided museum visits across the Hungarian capital.

Students visit major cultural institutions such as the Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of Ethnography, the Hungarian National Gallery, the Hungarian National Museum, the Ludwig Museum and the Ferenc Hopp Museum of Asiatic Arts

These visits are integrated into an innovative, experience-based curriculum focusing on intercultural dialogue and East–West cultural connections, and are taught by educators from ELTE’s Bárczi Gusztáv Faculty of Special Needs Education.

Special emphasis is placed on non-verbal communication, identity, mindfulness-based artistic practice, and the exploration of Eastern influences in Western culture.

Beyond academic activities, the Winter University also offers a wide range of optional cultural and leisure programmes, allowing students to further explore Budapest’s vibrant artistic, musical and cultural life